Arthur leveled a fierce and undeterred glare at the Sound Four and said, "If you don't wish to follow Orochimaru's orders, I'll gladly dispose of all of you right here and deliver the Uchiha myself."
Sakon struggled to regain his footing, the impact of Arthur's blow causing his body to protest in pain. He got to one knee and looked up, feeling both fear and misperception.
"Where are you from?" he finally asked, testing the waters.
"I'm from the North Hideout," Arthur coolly replied. To validate his claims, he named the supervisor there, a well-guarded secret that only the most loyal could know. "You can call me Kaito."
That name meant "ocean fighter" or "ocean prince," reflecting Arthur's dominion over the Water Country and its neighbours.
Regarding Arthur's statements, there was no way he could possibly know that information unless he was part of the Sound Village himself.
For a moment, silence fell over the group. Sakon considered Arthur's words, seeing the truth in them. Finally, after getting up, he conceded and said, "Alright, I get it."
This was good. Not for them, but for Arthur.
He was feeling quite drained after having done so much. In just the span of a few hours, he had used his Sage Mode twice and performed the flying raijin too many times.
That punch he delivered was just a front to make the Sound Four believe he was strong. If they knew that it was enhanced with chakra, they would have surely retaliated.
Arthur knew these ninjas well enough to fend them off. But if he could prevent a fight from breaking out, he'd choose the wiser option.
The other three members exchanged uncertain glances, affording Arthur wary looks. However, they couldn't deny the evidence. He had proved himself through strength, wore the Sound ninja attire—complete with the purple rope around his waist—and had performed one of their own sealing techniques to aid Sasuke in advancing the curse mark.
All that was enough to convince them; Arthur was indeed the real deal!
"Fine," Tayuya spoke first. "What's the plan now?"
Arthur's expression remained the same as he commanded, "We set off towards the Sound Village…"
Sakon hung back, still recovering from the earlier blow yet eyeing Arthur with respect. They had been searching for Sasuke for so long, bound by their loyalty to Orochimaru and their duty to their leader. Now, in this unexpected situation, they knew they couldn't fail the Sannin again.
Arthur, a wild card in their midst, had shifted the balance of their mission. Whether it led to alliance or ruin remained to be seen.
As they moved through the dense forest, the Sound Four traversed in formation, their eyes scanning the surroundings. Behind them, Arthur fell into thoughtful contemplation.
The choices he had made thus far surely had repercussions. He knew the thought of vanishing after delivering Sasuke into the hands of Orochimaru's loyal minions was futile.
It wouldn't be long before someone began searching for Sasuke—after all, leaving the village without a care would surely invoke a swift response from the Leaf Village's protectors.
The thought crossed his mind that a player or two would be sent out to retrieve him.
Among those potential rescuers, Jada floated to the forefront of his mind; her unique ability to teleport using the flying raijin made her a formidable presence. But could she have even received word about Sasuke's departure? It seemed improbable.
The other player who stood out was Alice. As one of the few who could match Jada's power, she possessed strength that surpassed even William's.
If she was sent on this mission, the Sound Four would have little chance of standing against her. She was a player who had proven to be formidable.
Arthur began to speculate on the players' potential companions for this mission. Kiba and Shikamaru were dead; there was only a limited pool of ninjas to choose from.
If he were to guess that it was Alice who was leading the team, she would likely rally Sakura—due to her early combat efficacy—Shino for his tracking abilities, Chōji for his sheer strength, and perhaps Hinata and TenTen because the former had the Byakugan.
But would Alice really risk all those characters? Arthur believed that she alone could bring Sasuke back. This was plausible since she was stated to be around the third strongest player.
So what if instead she limited her choices?
Excluding TenTen from her team, Alice seemed to be signaling that she wanted to avoid severe casualties, which meant she was no trivial adversary.
It became clear to Arthur that regardless of whom she stood beside, they would present a challenge. He was reminded of their last encounter when she had managed to bind him while he was still in Sage Mode; it was a feat that showcased her capability, especially considering her primary expertise in the Yamanaka clan's techniques.
He contemplated the potential involvement of Jasper; he could have helped her power increase—a feat that would explain how she had managed to suppress Arthur back in the Land of Tea.
Finishing his mental deductions, he instinctively used the Tamashii to distinguish the presence of others in the vicinity.
As he scanned the area, his suspicions were confirmed: Alice and her team were indeed not far behind, a couple of miles at best!
The figures he had expected to see trailed behind her, one by one emerging from the blanket of trees. Everyone was present except Hinata and TenTen, which made sense given Alice's apparent desire to minimize potential casualties.
Arthur's earlier deduction was more than correct; it was spot on.
Now the real question had to be asked: What was he going to do next?
"All of you, stop!" Arthur commanded.
His voice broke through the team's movement. The Sound Four exchanged glances but obeyed, halting in their tracks.
"Why?" Kidōmaru questioned. "What's going on?"
"We're being followed," Arthur replied, his eyes scanning the treeline for signs of movement.
"Being followed? How is that possible?" the spider-like man scoffed. "I've been setting traps all along the way; I would've noticed someone trying to sneak up on us."
Tayuya chimed in, adding, "And I've set a genjutsu trap just in case. They wouldn't get close without triggering it."
Arthur felt the need to sigh at their naivety. He stepped forward, demanding attention.
"You're both clueless about your enemies," he addressed them. "The team that's following us is an advance tracking team; they can spot traps, genjutsu, and anything else you've tried to set up... Whatever you've done is amateur work for them."
Sakon's face fell. Their own techniques, the pride of the Sound Four, were futile against an enemy capable of breaching such defenses?
Jirōbō shifted uneasily, concerned about who these trackers were.
"What's the plan, then?" he asked, looking to Arthur for guidance.
Arthur's expression hardened as he surveyed the trees ahead, considering their options.
"We wait for them," he ordered. "If you try to separate and take them on one by one, you'll lose."
Arthur hoped they didn't catch the fact he said "you" instead of "we" the second time. But he was right. Just like in the original story, each of them was picked off one by one.
Perhaps characters like Sakon and Tayuya proved better than their opponents; they were still defeated once backup arrived.
Arthur reckoned the same thing would happen. Whether it was the Sand siblings like last time, or perhaps one or more players, he couldn't afford to make any crucial mistakes.
Sakon stepped forward, shaking his head defiantly as he said, "That's insane! We can't just sit here and do nothing!"
In an instant, Arthur pivoted, grabbing Sakon by the neck, lifting him off the ground. The remaining Sound Four members were in shock as they watched their comrade dangle unceremoniously in the air.
"Let go of me, you bastard!" Sakon choked, his hands grasping at Arthur's wrist.
Arthur leaned closer, his eyes narrowing dangerously, and said, "You're all too weak and don't know anything. Even Kimimaro managed to take you all down by himself… Think I can't do the same? Either follow my plan or risk losing the Uchiha."
Sakon's struggle subsided, finally understanding the gravity of the situation. Either he could yield and follow Arthur's plan or they'd lose everything—even their existence.
"Fine," he gasped, averting his eyes. "We'll wait…"
The tension still lingered as Arthur slowly released his grip, gradually letting Sakon back to the ground.
What they shared now was a reluctant understanding: cooperating could very well be the only path to survival.
The group fell into an uneasy silence as they began to wait, brewing apprehensions swirling within each of them. Arthur, meanwhile, continued to strategize silently.
His mind turned over almost every possible scenario that could unfold with Alice and her team. He first envisioned the worst-case scenario.
Once Alice arrived with her team, they would place retrieving Sasuke as their top priority. Arthur knew their objective, their tactics, and their abilities; it was not a question of whether they would come but a matter of when—and how intense their efforts would be.
He mentally compiled a backup plan, a safety net to ensure his own survival.
The Sound Four had strengths, but they also had glaring weaknesses. If they were to survive this encounter, they would need to operate with some awareness.
Arthur would have to leverage his own abilities to the fullest while also empowering the Sound Four to either find their own strengths as a cohesive unit or give themselves up.
He pondered, 'What if they could separate Alice from her team?'
If he could draw her out in a way that made it impossible for her to use her full abilities without risking harm to her companions, perhaps that would give them the upper hand. He needed to make her focus solely on him while the Sound Four bought time to retreat with Sasuke.
'No… That wouldn't work…'
While a plausible idea, Arthur knew little to nothing about Alice's other abilities. He could just as easily narrow them down to every secret technique from the Yamanaka clan, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.
With each passing minute of waiting, the Sound Four's confidence waned. Arthur himself could almost feel Alice's presence drawing closer, and her chakra levels were dangerously high.
Perhaps not as high as William's, but certainly on a threatening level. Just what had these players been doing to increase so quickly?
There was only one explanation: foreknowledge.
"Here's what you should know," Arthur warned the Sound Four.
He spent little time explaining who each character was and what they could do. When asked how he knew, he feigned ignorance, reminding them that Orochimaru had capable spies. Kabuto was a great example.
They all reluctantly nodded.
"What if they come for Sasuke first?" Jirōbō asked, glancing at the box that contained the Uchiha.
"Does it matter?" Arthur replied, his tone matter-of-fact. "They won't get him without a fight."
As time passed, the distant sounds of footsteps began to echo through the forest, a soft rustle that signaled the arrival of Alice and her team.
With a final glance at the Sound Four, Arthur recalled the information he'd relayed. They might have doubted him before, but now they could prove their worth.
"Steady yourselves," he announced.
The tension became even thicker as Alice's team finally closed in on their target. The chirping of distant birds faded, leaving an oppressive silence as the silhouettes of the Leaf ninjas emerged from the underbrush.
Alice, at the forefront of the group, was a striking figure who hadn't looked any different than the last time Arthur saw her at the village gates. Her long blonde hair waved across the wind as she peered not at the Sound Four but at Arthur himself.
"Sasuke Uchiha," she breathed. "Either release him now or risk dying where you stand."
Those words caused the Sound Four's eyes to twitch. That wasn't a threat she had made; that was a promise!